Behind the Headlines 2016 Quiz of the Year

In 2014, Behind the Headlines has covered more than 500 health stories that made it into the mainstream media. If you’ve been paying attention you should find this quiz easy and fun.

Why not test your knowledge of 2014’s health news with our month-by-month quiz?

Answers are at the foot of the page (no peeking!).

 

In January 2016’s health news…

In a controversial study, monkeys were genetically engineered to develop what disorder?

• 1) Sex addiction
• 2) Bi-polar disorder
• 3) Autism

In a similarly controversial study, what psychological condition was dismissed as a "myth"

• 1) Seasonal affective disorder
• 2) Agoraphobia
• 3) Social anxiety disorder

In February 2016’s health news…

Brain scans were used to see if what activity was addictive?

• 1) Shopping online
• 2) Checking your emails
• 3) Using Facebook

Exercise in middle age was claimed to stop what from shrinking?

• 1) Your brain
• 2) Your penis (assuming you are a man)
• 3) Your body height

In March 2016’s health news…

What could possibly "break your heart" (or at least damage your heart muscles)?

• 1) Moments of joy
• 2) A sudden shock
• 3) The loss of a much loved pet

Why should you always be polite to your doctor?

• 1) Well-liked patients are often pushed to the front of the waiting list
• 2) You are more likely to get an appointment when you want
• 3) Rude patients are "more likely to be misdiagnosed"

 

In April 2016’s health news…

What was said to put-off bedbugs from making a nest in your mattress?

• 1) Making sure your bed sheets were either yellow or green
• 2) Burning a scented candle every evening
• 3) Regularly playing opera (or any other music that contains high-pitched noises)

What group leisure activity was found to boost immunity in people recovering from cancer?

• 1) Line dancing
• 2) Choir singing
• 3) Amateur dramatics

 

In May 2016’s health news…

What psychoactive substance was tested as a treatment for depression?

• 1) Peyote
• 2) Psilocybin
• 3) DMT

What was said to help babies sleep better?

• 1) A massage
• 2) A bath before bedtime
• 3) Leaving them to cry

 

In June 2016’s health news…

Researchers claimed what following proverb about food could actually be evidenced-based?

• 1) "All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast"
• 2) "Beer after wine and you’ll feel fine; wine after beer and you’ll feel queer"
• 3) "’Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper’

What was said to be a bad influence on young girls?

• 1) "Disney Princess culture"
• 2) Selfies
• 3) YouTube "vloggers"

 

In July 2016’s health news…

What could millions of people have without realising it?

• 1) A parasite inside their digestive system
• 2) A "secret ginger gene"
• 3) An extra bone inside their foot

What increasingly popular activity was linked to blood clots?

• 1) Zumba dancing
• 2) Binge-watching box-sets
• 3) "Screen walking" – checking your phone screen while walking

 

In August 2016’s health news…

What popular types of summer venues were said to be becoming measles hotspots 

• 1) Beaches
• 2) Water parks
• 3) Music festivals

Injections of what kitchen staple were said (wrongly) to be a potential cancer cure?

• 1) Salt
• 2) Pepper
• 3) Olive oil

 

In September 2014’s health news…

One newspaper claimed that eating a certain snack could trigger a stroke within minutes; what was it?

• 1) Kebab
• 2) Deep-fried Mars Bar
• 3) Bacon sandwich

What “old wives tell” may have turned out to be correct?

• 1) Going outside with wet hair can give you a cold
• 2) Honey can be used to treat infection
• 3) Chocolate can help relieve symptoms of PMT

 

In October 2014’s health news…

What doesn’t exist according to Italian researchers?

• 1) The vaginal orgasm
• 2) The Male mid-life crisis
• 3) Love at first sight

What was said to protect against prostate cancer?

• 1) Having a cold shower at least once a week
• 2) A Norwegian style diet of lots of fish, game and preserved meat
• 3) Multiple sexual partners; at least 21 over the course of a lifetime

 

In November 2014’s health news…

Watching what classic comedy was said to help prevent vision loss?

• 1) Only Fools and Horses
• 2) George and Mildred
• 3) Dad’s Army

What was reported to spread over 80 million bacteria?

• 1) Drinking out of somebody’s else’s pint
• 2) A French kiss (aka “snog”)
• 3) A sneeze

 

In December 2014’s health news…

What seems to be becoming less deadly over time?

• 1) Rabies
• 2) Anthrax
• 3) HIV

What could potentially save the NHS millions of pounds per year?

• 1) Running operative theatres on a 24 hours per day basis
• 2) More breastfeeding
• 3) Adding fluoride to all of the English water supply

 

Answers

January

What was said helped make bones stronger?

• 2) Marriage – a US study found that married men had increased bone mineral density compared to their single or divorced counterparts

Warnings were issued about the possible return of what?

• 2) The Black Death – DNA samples showed that there have been multiple strains of the Black Death during human history, suggesting new strains could emerge in the future

February 

What activity was said to lower your sense of wellbeing?

• 3) Commuting – a report compiled by the Office of National Statistics found that daily commuting took a toll on most commuters’ sense of wellbeing

What video game was used to reduce food cravings?

• 1) Tetris – a small study found that after playing Tetris for three minutes there was a self-reported reduction by participants in immediate cravings for food and drink by around 20%

March

What was cited as a potential weapon against the obesity epidemic?

• 3) Seaweed – lab research suggests that a substance found in seaweed, alginates, may reduce the amount of fat that the body digests

What antisocial activity was said to trigger potentially harmful by-products?

• 3) Peeing in swimming pools – the mixture of urine and chlorinated swimming pool water was shown to produce potentially harmful chemicals, known as nitrogen-containing disinfection by-products

April

What quintessentially English brand was claimed to be an effective alternative to statins? 

• 3) Earl Grey tea – the research involved an extract called HGMF, taken from the bergamot fruit; a citrus fruit used to flavour teas such as Earl Grey; though the results (in rats) were inconclusive

What activity was said to prevent depression in older people?

• 2) Using the internet – a survey of 3,075 retired people found that regular internet use was associated with a lower risk of depression

May

England fans were warned about what in the run-up to the World Cup in Brazil?

• 3) Dengue fever – prediction models suggested that mosquito activity could combine with weather patterns to create the ideal environment for the spread of dengue fever in the city of Recife (though as England failed to come top of their group, they never played in Recife)

What was said to be better than patches and gum as a smoking quitting aid?

• 1) E-cigarettes – a UK study found that people who used e-cigs were 60% more likely to quit than those who try nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) patches or gum, or willpower alone

June

A new invention that can predict strokes was unveiled; what was it?

• 2) Microwave helmet – the helmet uses a microwave scattering technique to check if bleeding has occurred inside the brain

What was said to damage men’s sperm quality?

• 2) Smoking cannabis – researchers found that cannabis use was associated with a higher rate of abnormal morphology – that is the shape of individual sperm

 

July

What technology company carried out a controversial experiment on some of their users?

• 1) Facebook – in a controversial psychological experiment Facebook filtered the content that appeared on some users’ news feeds to see if this could have an emotional effect

What flavouring was said to make people feel fuller?

• 2) Umami – umami, a flavoring associated with Chinese food, was found to reduce food cravings later in the day

August

What NHS service was said to be a waste of time by one team of researchers?

• 1) NHS Health Checks – researchers found no difference in the prevalence of diseases such as diabetes in GP practices that offer NHS Health Checks and those that didn’t
  

Injections of what kitchen staple were said (wrongly) to be a potential cancer cure?

• 1) Salt – while researchers did find a way to use salt to kill cancerous cells (in a lab) this is a long way from a cure for cancer

September

One newspaper claimed that eating a certain snack could trigger a stroke within minutes; what was it?

• 2) Deep-fried Mars Bar – this (allegedly) staple Scottish snack was found to slightly reduce the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain; an effect highly unlikely to trigger an actual stroke

What “old wives tell” may have turned out to be correct?

• 2) Honey can be used to treat infection – ‘friendly’ bacteria found in fresh honey was found to be effective in slowing the growth of drug-resistant bacteria such as MRSA

October

What doesn’t exist according to Italian researchers?

• 1) The vaginal orgasm – according to two Italian sexologists the vaginal orgasm, an orgasm that occurs during penetrative sex “doesn’t exist”; they argue that orgasm can only be achieved during oral sex or masturbation

What was said to protect against prostate cancer?

• 3) Multiple sexual partners; at least 21 over the course of a lifetime – a Canadian study came up with a very precise figure of 21 or more sexual partners to reduce prostate cancer risk; 20 doesn’t count 

November

Watching what classic comedy was said to help prevent vision loss?

• 3) Dad’s Army – in fact a clip from “Dad’s Army” was just one of many visual cues in an experiment to track differences in eye movements in people with glaucoma compare to people with normal vision

What was reported to spread over 80 million bacteria?

• 2) A French kiss (aka “snog”) – an intimate kiss lasting at least 10 seconds was estimated to transfer 80 million bacteria between partners

December

What seems to be becoming less deadly over time?

• 3) HIV – strains of HIV in South Africa and Botswana were found to be less virulent than other strains; the virus could be adapting due to natural selection (viruses that kill all of their host population don’t last long in evolutionary terms)

What could potentially save the NHS millions of pounds per year?

• 2) More breastfeeding – a modelling study estimated that reduction in childhood diseases as well as breast cancer rates would save the NHS millions of pounds

Scores:

• 0-2: Doctor Leo Spaceman (30 Rock)
• 3-5: Doctor Douglas "Doogie" Howser (Doogie Howser, M.D)
• 6-8: Doctor Harold Legg (Eastenders)
• 9-11: Doctor Niles Crane (Fraiser)
• 12-15: Doctor Ross Geller (Friends)
• 16-19: Doctor Gregory House (house)
• 20-23: Doctor Zachary Smith (Lost in Space)
• 24: Nurse Jackie (Nurse Jackie)

Thanks for taking part and we hope you had fun and have a happy 2015.

 

Edited by NHS Choices.
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